( 1. wonderful nightmares - - - )
"Taiyou…"
A voice called from the empty blankness that clouded the young girl's vision. She cautiously looked down at her hands, shock gripping her heart as she realized that they were translucent.
"Taiyou… why?"
She looked up, but saw nothing but misty white surrounding her from every angle. She reached out in front of her, desperate to feel something, anything.
"I didn't mean to…" she began defensively.
"Why?"
"I didn't—" she started again, but choked on her words.
Her mind reeled, her heart raced, and her failed attempts at calling for help were drowned in the cold voices that seemed to come from nowhere:
"Its all your fault this happened! You're worthless!"
"Traitor! Why did you do this? How could you…?"
"What were you thinking? You're so stupid! Idiot!"
Strangely, the voices seemed familiar, as if people she had once loved had suddenly betrayed her. Or even worse, as if she had betrayed them.
She cupped her hands over her ears in a futile endeavor to silence the resonating voices, but they only grew louder with each passing moment. She screamed: begging them to stop, but they continued to revile her with their gruesome accusations. When she finally felt like she could take no more, a sudden hush fell over the noise, and she was left with nothing once more.
A terrible fear clutched at her heart, as chills ran up and along her body and she realized that she was completely, utterly alone. "I must be dreaming," she said, yearning to hear something in the empty void where she stood.
"That's it, I'm just dreaming. It's only—"
Her statement was cut off as a sharp pain spread throughout her body. She gagged; coughing up crimson blood that pooled around her feet like a puddle of rain. She looked down, and saw that a long blade shaped like a key had pierced her abdomen, as blood gushed from the wound and ran, sticky, down her legs. She gasped, grabbing the handle that protruded from her stomach. She tried to pull it out, but strength drained from her body like sand in her hands. Her legs had lost all feeling, and she dropped to her knees. Her eyes glazed over as she gasped desperately for breath, her hands covered in her own blood. As she breathed her last, she suddenly felt light-headed, and her world was plunged into darkness.
(--x--)
Ring-ring, riiingg. The phone rang, startling Taiyou into waking. She sat up immediately, breathing heavy. Her mind raced, and she clutched her stomach, suddenly realizing that she was merely having a nightmare. Reality began to sink in.
The phone rang again, and Taiyou leaned over her bed to grab the phone that was resting on a nearby table. She put it to her ear, "Hello?" she said.
"Happy BIRTHDAY!" a rather obnoxious greeting responded.
Taiyou sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, hooray," she said monotonously.
"Oh, come on! You're fifteen now!" her friend replied, "Cheer up! You're getting older! More independent!
"Whatever," she retorted, not interested.
"Okay, then. We'll have to do something extra special to get you in the mood! Meetcha by the old mansion in ten minutes?"
"Whatever," Taiyou repeated, and hung up the phone.
After brushing the tangles from her light brown hair, and changing into some decent clothing, Taiyou bid a quick farewell to her parents, promising to be home by sunset. She set off down the cobblestone road until she came upon the train station that Twilight Town was so famous for. She took a train to the other side of the town, where she proceeded to wander down the red cobblestone path until she found a giant, gaping hole hidden behind an old department store.
The hole opened into a small wood, where lush, green trees stood waiting for her. No wind disturbed their branches. The eerie, inanimate forest sent shivers up her spine. Ignoring the hair prickling on the back of her neck, Taiyou wove her way through the trees, picking up her pace the deeper she ventured into them. It wasn't long until she was running, eager to see sunshine again, for the dense trees now blocked it out and a foreboding darkness hung in the air.
At last, light! Taiyou slowed down to a halt, just before reaching a giant, iron gate that stood between her and a tall mansion. It was a house of incredible size, yet its beauty had long since vanished. The roof was crumbled in places, all of the windows smashed, and thick moss crawled up its walls.
The brunette fiddled with her fingers as she waited for her friend to show up. She began to contemplate why they always meet each other here- they have never even been inside. She shrugged, dismissing the thought, guessing that they were both just naturally drawn to this place. It was ancient and elaborate: who wouldn't be interested in it, right? As she pondered, she failed to notice her friend approaching.
"Hi," she said. When she received no answer from her spacey friend, she prodded her hard in the ribcage.
"Ow!" Taiyou retorted sharply, "What the hell was that for?"
"Umm… hi," the girl repeated.
"Hi, Chantsi. Sorry, I… must have been daydreaming."
"I'll say. Well, maybe I won't give you my super-special-wondrous-surprise present, then."
Taiyou perked up at this. "No, no! Gimmie! What is it?" she smiled.
Chantelle's lips parted, revealing a smile as wide as the sky itself. She opened up the leather pack she had carried with her and took out a small cardboard box.
"Open it!" she exclaimed, shoving the box into Taiyou's curious hands. Taiyou carefully unwrapped the box, opened it, and chuckled at what she saw. She took out her present: a small, chocolate cake covered in pink icing with the words 'Happy Birthday Taiyou!' written into the frosting. She looked up at her friend, her eyes shining.
"I love it. It's perfect, Chantsi. Thank you so much."
"Well, you're very welcome!" Chantsi replied, equally as pleased.
"You want a piece?"
"Sure! Look- I even brought some plates. See how prepared I am?"
Taiyou laughed at her friend's enthusiasm, and the two girls sat under a maple tree, chatting and gossiping, enjoying their last days of summer. It wouldn't be long before school started again, and all the pressures of homework and peers would once again settle on their shoulders.
As they finished eating, Chantelle looked over at the old, abandoned mansion.
"Say, Taiyou…" she said, her eyes glittering with an idea.
"Hrmm?" Taiyou replied, her mouth full of cake.
"How many times have we been here, by this old house? And yet we have no clue what's inside of it."
Taiyou gulped down the last of her cake. "No," she replied firmly, predicting what her friend was going to suggest.
"Why not?"
"Well, for one: Its scary! We don't know what the heck's in there, waiting for us."
"What, like ghosts?" Chantsi mocked.
"No… like rats or something. And it's so decrepit, it would probably fall down on us while we're in there."
Chantsi let out a whine, "Oh c'mon, don't be so scared."
"I'm not scared. I just don't wanna go in."
"You're scared- admit it."
"I am not."
"Are too."
Taiyou sighed in frustration. "I am not, and I'll prove it. We'll go in- but just for, like, five minutes, before the ceiling caves in. And you can go first."
"Okay, then. Let's go!"
Before Taiyou could utter an excuse to stall, Chantsi had began to climb over the gate.
Taiyou rolled her eyes at the pure naïve nature of her friend, but followed behind in close pursuit. As they walked towards the large wooden doors, the journey seemed endless. It was as if the faster they walked, the farther away it seemed. Finally, they reached the mansion, and looked up at the incredible, intricate doors that towered over them.
"Should we knock?"
"Um, I'm not sure anyone would answer, Chantsi."
"Haha… right."
"Go ahead, then. Go on in."
Chantsi looked at her friend, and Taiyou could've sworn that she saw a flicker of fear flash in her stone-gray eyes. She hesitated, looking as if she was about to make an excuse to turn back, but her eyebrows narrowed in determination, and she pushed open one of the doors with a long, loud creaking noise that made them both cringe.
As soon as Chantsi vanished into the murky darkness inside, Taiyou immediately regretted their coming here. There was an uneasiness that clung to the air: she could feel it chill her bones. With each passing second, her restlessness increased. Was it fear holding her back, or foreboding? When it seemed as though hours had passed, Taiyou hesitantly entered.
She was surrounded by immediate darkness, and for a few minutes couldn't see anything in front of her. Eventually her eyes grew used to the black, but she stayed close to the exit anyway.
"Chantsi?" she called, voice quivering.
"Over here!" her friend seemed undaunted by the haunting quiet.
"Where?"
"Here! Follow my voice! There's nothing in here: don't worry so much."
Taiyou did as told, moving forward cautiously, stepping over fallen pieces of wood and marble, now covered in a thick layer of dust. At times when Taiyou felt she didn't know where to go, she called out to her friend, who would respond: like a game of marco-polo. Taiyou couldn't believe how large the room was, and as she stumbled over the mess scattered over the floor, she couldn't help but wonder how they were going to get out. Eventually she felt Chantelle's warm hands against hers.
"Well, finally. How big do you think this place is?"
"I dunno. Huge: probably twice the size of mine. Now c'mere, I wanna show you something…"
The girls held hands as Taiyou followed her friend who-knows-where, feeling much like a blind bat in a dark cave. There was a point when Chantsi had let go- if only for a second, and Taiyou stopped dead in her tracks. The brunette reached out, but in vain, for where there once was the warmth of life next to her, there was now cold, still air.
"…Chantsi?" Taiyou called out, but her only reply was silence.
She began to step forward, her mind strangely calm with the sudden absence of her friend. She stopped again.
"…Chantelle?"
Her senses were more aware than usual, adrenaline starting to pump through her veins. Her heartbeat grew louder and louder until it pounded into her ears as if someone was beating a drum right beside her. Her hands shook as a sudden dread took over her body.
With her sight limited, Taiyou depended on her ears to find her way. She kept alert for the sound of footsteps- particularly those of Chantsi. Soon, she heard something behind her. She turned around, but saw nothing. She reached out her hand, but felt nothing. Maybe I'm hearing things now… she thought, and continued forward.
Then, she heard it again. Quiet voices: whispers from behind her. She couldn't make out any words they were saying, but she could tell that they were coated with poison. They weren't familiar voices, which meant that she and Chantsi were not the only ones in the room anymore.
Without a second thought, Taiyou ran. It seemed as if time itself had stopped, and she was running in slow motion. She found stairs and climbed them quickly, her legs shrieking in resistance with every step she took. Wherever she went, the voices were always right behind her, whispering in their hush but sinister tones.
Panicking, Taiyou managed to trip over her large, ungainly and exhausted feet. She tumbled down, but as she was expecting to collide with the floor, she did not. She continued to fall, as though she had jumped from an airplane a hundred feet from the air. There was no longer floor beneath her. As she fell, she contemplated how any of this had happened. She felt sheer apprehension as she recalled how Chantsi had disappeared: how one second she was there, and the next she was gone. Her heart felt as cold as ice, and all she could do at that moment was blame herself.
It's all my fault.
At that thought, she hit the ground. The wind was knocked from her, along with her consciousness. All she could feel was the throbbing pain: the sensation that all her bones had broken. Then, there was nothing but darkness.
( author notes - - - ) Hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Pieces of the Sky. The plot should go a little differently than before... Anywayyy, if you did like reading, please leave a review: it would mean a lot to me! Thanks!
Chapter two will hopefully be up soon!